scholarly journals The Use of Cabozantinib in Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Hong Kong—A Territory-Wide Cohort Study

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 2002
Author(s):  
Jeffrey Sum Lung Wong ◽  
Yawen Dong ◽  
Vikki Tang ◽  
Thomas Leung ◽  
Cynthia S. Y. Yeung ◽  
...  

(1) Background: Cabozantinib is approved in sorafenib-exposed advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (aHCC). We evaluated the real-life pattern of use, efficacy, and tolerability of cabozantinib in aHCC. (2) Methods: This territory-wide study included consecutive aHCC patients who received cabozantinib between February 2018 and September 2020 in Hong Kong. The objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), overall survival (OS), and adverse events (AE) were assessed. (3) Results: Overall, 42 patients were included. Approximately 83.3% had Child-Pugh A cirrhosis. About 64.3% received cabozantinib as a single agent, and the remaining 35.7% received cabozantinib as an add-on to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). For single-agent patients, the median follow-up was 6.7 months. The ORR was 3.7%, DCR was 44.4%, and the median OS was 8.28 months. About 74.1% of patients experienced any AEs with 7.4% having grade ≥3 AEs. Among patients who received prior ICIs (n = 16), the ORR was 6.3%, and the median OS was 8.28 months. An exploratory analysis of patients who received cabozantinib as an add-on to ICIs showed an ORR of 6.7% and a median OS of 15.1 months, with 73.3% having any AE and 13.3% having grade ≥3 AEs. (4) Conclusion: Cabozantinib had good anti-tumor activity, survival benefits, and acceptable tolerability in real-life aHCC patients.

2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 316-316
Author(s):  
Yawen Dong ◽  
Thomas Wai-Tong Leung ◽  
Gin Wai Kwok ◽  
Vikki Tang ◽  
Bryan Li ◽  
...  

316 Background: In the phase III CELESTIAL trial, cabozantinib showed significant improvement in overall survival with good tolerability in advanced HCC population. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy, survival and tolerability of cabozatinib in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients in a real life setting. Methods: Between February 2018 and October 2019, consecutive advanced HCC patients who received cabozatinib alone or in combination at University of Hong Kong Health System hospitals were analysed. Cabozantinib was administered at 60 mg continuously daily. Objective response rate (ORR), time-to-progression (TTP), overall survival (OS), and tolerability were evaluated. Results: Overall, 22 patients were included. The median age was 57.1 years (range 48.5-58.6). All patients except one were hepatitis B carriers. More than 80% of the patients had underlying Child-Pugh A cirrhosis. Most patients had metastatic disease (95.5%). More than 70% of patients received cabozantinib beyond second-line, and most of the patients had prior exposure to tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) and/or immunotherapy. The median time from the start of first-line systemic treatment to the start of cabozantinib was 11.2 months. Cabozantinib was administered to 11 patients (50%) as single agent, while the other half received cabozantinib in combination with mostly immune checkpoint inhibitors. The median follow-up was 7.6 months. The table below shows the ORR. The overall median TTP and OS were 4.2 and 8.90 months, respectively. Interestingly, among those who received single agent cabozantinib, the median OS was 5.36 months in contrast to 12.32 months in the patients received combination. Overall, 90.9% of patients experienced treatment related adverse events (TRAEs) with transient liver function occurred in nearly 50% patients. Nevertheless, Grade 3/4 TRAEs was only 12%. Conclusions: Our present study showed that the use of cabozatinib in advanced HCC patients had good anti-tumour activity and survival benefits with acceptable toxicity profile. [Table: see text]


2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. 4072-4072 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masatoshi Kudo ◽  
Kenta Motomura ◽  
Yoshiyuki Wada ◽  
Yoshitaka Inaba ◽  
Yasunari Sakamoto ◽  
...  

4072 Background: Combining an immune checkpoint inhibitor with a targeted antiangiogenic agent may leverage complementary mechanisms of action for treatment of advanced/metastatic (a/m) hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Avelumab is a human anti–PD-L1 IgG1 antibody with clinical activity in various tumor types; axitinib is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor selective for VEGF receptors 1/2/3. VEGF Liver 100 (NCT03289533) is a phase 1b study evaluating safety and efficacy of avelumab + axitinib in treatment-naive patients (pts) with HCC; interim results are reported here. Methods: Eligible pts had confirmed a/m HCC, ≥1 measurable lesion, a fresh or archival tumor specimen, ECOG PS ≤1, and Child-Pugh class A. Pts received avelumab 10 mg/kg IV Q2W + axitinib 5 mg orally BID until progression, unacceptable toxicity, or withdrawal. Endpoints included safety and objective response (RECIST v1.1; modified [m] RECIST for HCC). Results: Interim assessment was performed after a minimum follow up of 6 months based on the released study data set (clinical cut-off date: Aug 1, 2018). As of the cut-off date, 22 pts (median age: 68.5 y) were treated with avelumab (median: 20.0 wk) and axitinib (median: 19.9 wk). The most common grade 3 treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) (≥10% of patients) were hypertension (50.0%) and hand-foot syndrome (22.7%); no grade 4/5 TRAEs were reported. Immune-related AEs (irAEs) (≥10% of pts) were hypothyroidism (31.8%) and hyperthyroidism (13.6%). No grade ≥3 irAEs were reported; no pts discontinued treatment due to TRAEs or irAEs. Based on Waterfall plot calculations, tumor shrinkage was observed in 15 (68.2%) and 16 (72.7%) pts by RECIST and mRECIST, respectively. ORR was 13.6% (95% CI, 2.9%-34.9%) and 31.8% (95% CI, 13.9%-54.9%) by RECIST and mRECIST, respectively. OS data were immature at data cutoff. Conclusions: The preliminary safety of avelumab + axitinib in HCC is manageable and consistent with the known safety profiles of avelumab and axitinib when administered as monotherapies. This study demonstrates antitumor activity of the combination in HCC. Follow-up is ongoing. Clinical trial information: NCT03289533. [Table: see text]


2015 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 728-734 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tadaaki Arizumi ◽  
Kazuomi Ueshima ◽  
Mina Iwanishi ◽  
Hirokazu Chishina ◽  
Masashi Kono ◽  
...  

Objectives: Sorafenib has become a standard therapy for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma following the demonstration of significant increase in progression-free survival as well as overall survival (OS) in the 2-phase III trials. We examined efficacy and adverse events (AEs) in patients treated with sorafenib over a 6-year period since approval in Japan. Methods: Two hundred and forty-one patients treated with sorafenib at the Kinki University Hospital were retrospectively analyzed clinically for the factors related to survival periods, tumor response evaluated by the Response Evaluation Criteria In Cancer of the Liver (RECICL) and AEs. Results: OS was 14.3 months. According to the RECICL, the objective response and disease control rates were 18.6% (43 of 241) and 61.1% (137 of 241), respectively. AEs were seen in 77.3% (187 of 241), with Grade 3 or higher in 23.6% (57 of 241). The most frequent AE was hand-foot skin reaction in 109 patients (45.0%), and 28 patients (11.8%) showed Grade 3 or higher. Significant factors contributing to the OS were treatment duration (p = 0.0204), up-to-7 criteria (p = 0.0400), increase of Child-Pugh score (p = 0.0008) and tumor response determined by the RECICL (p = 0.0007). Conclusion: Based on the analysis, using many cases at a single center, we concluded that continuation of treatment with sorafenib for ≥90 days without decrease of liver function was critical if tumor response was determined as stable disease or higher.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liting Zhong ◽  
Dehua Wu ◽  
Weiwei Peng ◽  
Hailong Sheng ◽  
Yazhi Xiao ◽  
...  

BackgroundPrevious studies have explored cancer immunotherapy with radiotherapy or anti-angiogenic therapy, but no trials have reported a triple therapy approach. This study aimed to investigate safety and clinical outcome of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors combined with palliative radiotherapy and targeted angiogenesis therapy in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) of Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage C.MethodsConsecutive patients (n=16) treated with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors combined with radiotherapy and anti-angiogenic therapy in a bi-institutional cohort between July 2017 and December 2020 were retrospectively included. Radiotherapy was conducted within 14 days of the first administration of immunotherapy. The primary endpoint was treatment-related adverse event (TRAE).ResultsThe median follow-up was 383 days. Fifteen patients (93.8%) experienced at least 1 TRAE. The most common TRAEs of any grade were rash (25%), diarrhea (25%), aspartate aminotransferase increase (18.8%), alanine transaminase increase (18.8%), decreased appetite (18.8%), and fatigue (18.8%). Grade 3/4 TRAEs occurred in 4 patients (25%) and finally led to treatment interruption. No patient death was attributed to treatment. No specific events were responsible for the addition of radiotherapy. Six patients showed partial response, 7 showed stable disease, and 2 showed progressive disease. The objective response rate and disease control rate were 40.0% (95% CI 16.3%–67.7%) and 86.7% (95% CI 59.5%–98.3%), respectively. Moreover, the median progression-free survival was 140 days. Patients had a median overall survival of 637 days, and the estimated rates of survival at 6 and 12 months were 92.3% and 75.5%, respectively.ConclusionPD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors combined with palliative radiotherapy and anti-angiogenic therapy appear to be safe, with no unexpected adverse events. Additional studies exploring the clinical benefit are warranted.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. e001945 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey Sum Lung Wong ◽  
Gerry Gin Wai Kwok ◽  
Vikki Tang ◽  
Bryan Cho Wing Li ◽  
Roland Leung ◽  
...  

BackgroundProgrammed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) pathway blockade with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) is a standard therapy in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) nowadays. No strategies to overcome ICI resistance have been described. We aimed to evaluate the use of ipilimumab and anti-PD-1 ICIs (nivolumab or pembrolizumab) combinations in patients with advanced HCC with progression on prior ICIs.MethodsPatients with advanced HCC with documented tumor progression on prior ICIs and subsequently received ipilimumab with nivolumab/pembrolizumab were analyzed. Objective response rate (ORR), median duration of response (DOR), time-to-progression (TTP), overall survival (OS), and treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) were assessed.ResultsTwenty-five patients were included. The median age was 62 (range: 51–83). About 68% were of Child-Pugh (CP) Grade A and 48% had primary resistance to prior ICI. At median follow-up of 37.7 months, the ORR was 16% with a median DOR of 11.5 months (range: 2.76–30.3). Three patients achieved complete response. The median TTP was 2.96 months (95% CI: 1.61 to 4.31). Median OS was 10.9 months (95% CI: 3.99 to 17.8) and the 1 year, 2 year and 3 year survival rates were 42.4%, 32.3% and 21.6%, respectively. The ORR was 16.7% in primary resistance group and 15.4% in acquired resistance group (p=1.00). All responders were of CP A and Albumin-Bilirubin (ALBI) Grade 1 or 2. CP and ALBI Grades were significantly associated with OS (p=0.006 and p<0.001, respectively). Overall, 52% of patients experienced TRAEs and 12% experienced Grade 3 or above TRAEs.ConclusionsIpilimumab and nivolumab/pembrolizumab can achieve durable antitumor activity and encouraging survival outcomes with acceptable toxicity in patients with advanced HCC who had prior treatment with ICIs.


2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 611-617 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kazuomi Ueshima ◽  
Naoshi Nishida ◽  
Masatoshi Kudo

Objectives: Previously, no therapeutic agent has been known to improve the overall survival compared with placebo in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), who have progressed after sorafenib. In this patient population, regorafenib was first demonstrated to confer a survival benefit in the RESORCE trial, and subsequently it was approved as a second-line treatment for patients with advanced HCC. An open-label expanded access program (EAP) of regorafenib was implemented for compassionate use. We investigated the efficacy and safety of regorafenib based on our experience of the RESORCE trial and the EAP. Methods: Data from 5 patients from the RESORCE trial and 6 from the EAP were analyzed retrospectively. All patients had tolerated prior sorafenib and were progressing during sorafenib treatment. Results: The median progression-free survival was 9.2 months (95% CI 2.3-16.1). One patient achieved a partial response and 7 achieved stable disease. The objective response rate was 9.1%, and the disease control rate was 72.7%. No treatment-associated mortalities were observed. Grade 3 hypophosphatemia was observed in 2 patients, grade 2 anorexia was observed in 5 patients, and grade 3 neutropenia was observed in 2 patients. Grade 2 and grade 3 thrombocytopenia were observed in 2 and 3 patients, respectively. All treatment-related adverse events were improved by reduction or interruption of regorafenib. Five patients showed decreased serum albumin levels. Conclusion: Sorafenib and regorafenib sequential therapy presents a safe and effective treatment option for patients with advanced HCC.


Liver Cancer ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Masatoshi Kudo ◽  
Kenta Motomura ◽  
Yoshiyuki Wada ◽  
Yoshitaka Inaba ◽  
Yasunari Sakamoto ◽  
...  

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> Combining an immune checkpoint inhibitor with a targeted antiangiogenic agent may leverage complementary mechanisms of action for the treatment of advanced/metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma (aHCC). Avelumab is a human anti-PD-L1 IgG1 antibody with clinical activity in various tumor types; axitinib is a selective tyrosine kinase inhibitor of vascular endothelial growth factor receptors 1, 2, and 3. We report the final analysis from VEGF Liver 100 (NCT03289533), a phase 1b study evaluating safety and efficacy of avelumab plus axitinib in treatment-naive patients with aHCC. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> Eligible patients had confirmed aHCC, no prior systemic therapy, ≥1 measurable lesion, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status ≤1, and Child-Pugh class A disease. Patients received avelumab 10 mg/kg intravenously every 2 weeks plus axitinib 5 mg orally twice daily until progression, unacceptable toxicity, or withdrawal. Endpoints included safety and investigator-assessed objective response per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) 1.1 and modified RECIST (mRECIST) for HCC. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Twenty-two Japanese patients were enrolled and treated with avelumab plus axitinib. The minimum follow-up was 18 months as of October 25, 2019 (data cutoff). Grade 3 treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) occurred in 16 patients (72.7%); the most common (≥3 patients) were hypertension (<i>n</i> = 11 [50.0%]), palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia syndrome (<i>n</i> = 5 [22.7%]), and decreased appetite (<i>n</i> = 3 [13.6%]). No grade 4 TRAEs or treatment-related deaths occurred. Ten patients (45.5%) had an immune-related AE (irAE) of any grade; 3 patients (13.6%) had an infusion-related reaction (IRR) of any grade, and no grade ≥3 irAE and IRR were observed. The objective response rate was 13.6% (95% CI: 2.9–34.9%) per RECIST 1.1 and 31.8% (95% CI: 13.9–54.9%) per mRECIST for HCC. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> Treatment with avelumab plus axitinib was associated with a manageable toxicity profile and showed antitumor activity in patients with aHCC.


Author(s):  
Osman Öcal ◽  
Kerstin Schütte ◽  
Juozas Kupčinskas ◽  
Egidijus Morkunas ◽  
Gabija Jurkeviciute ◽  
...  

Abstract Purpose To explore the potential correlation between baseline interleukin (IL) values and overall survival or objective response in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) receiving sorafenib. Methods A subset of patients with HCC undergoing sorafenib monotherapy within a prospective multicenter phase II trial (SORAMIC, sorafenib treatment alone vs. combined with Y90 radioembolization) underwent baseline IL-6 and IL-8 assessment before treatment initiation. In this exploratory post hoc analysis, the best cut-off points for baseline IL-6 and IL-8 values predicting overall survival (OS) were evaluated, as well as correlation with the objective response. Results Forty-seven patients (43 male) with a median OS of 13.8 months were analyzed. Cut-off values of 8.58 and 57.9 pg/mL most effectively predicted overall survival for IL-6 and IL-8, respectively. Patients with high IL-6 (HR, 4.1 [1.9–8.9], p < 0.001) and IL-8 (HR, 2.4 [1.2–4.7], p = 0.009) had significantly shorter overall survival than patients with low IL values. Multivariate analysis confirmed IL-6 (HR, 2.99 [1.22–7.3], p = 0.017) and IL-8 (HR, 2.19 [1.02–4.7], p = 0.044) as independent predictors of OS. Baseline IL-6 and IL-8 with respective cut-off values predicted objective response rates according to mRECIST in a subset of 42 patients with follow-up imaging available (IL-6, 46.6% vs. 19.2%, p = 0.007; IL-8, 50.0% vs. 17.4%, p = 0.011). Conclusion IL-6 and IL-8 baseline values predicted outcomes of sorafenib-treated patients in this well-characterized prospective cohort of the SORAMIC trial. We suggest that the respective cut-off values might serve for validation in larger cohorts, potentially offering guidance for improved patient selection.


2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e16184-e16184
Author(s):  
Jeffrey Sum Lung Wong ◽  
Gin Wai Kwok ◽  
Vikki Tang ◽  
Bryan Li ◽  
Roland Ching-Yu Leung ◽  
...  

e16184 Background: Hepatic derangement commonly accompanies advanced HCC (aHCC) and limits the use of systemic therapies. We aimed to evaluate the use of single agent anti-PD-1 nivolumab or pembrolizumab in Child-Pugh (CP) grade B or C patients with aHCC. Methods: Consecutive aHCC patients with CP grade B (CPB) or C (CPC) liver function who received single agent nivolumab or pembrolizumab were analysed. Objective response rate (ORR), time-to-progression (TTP), overall survival (OS), and treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) were assessed. Results: Between May 2015 and June 2020, 61 patients were included. The median age was 60 (range 28-82). 81% and 4.8% had hepatitis-B and hepatitis-C related HCCs respectively. 72.1% (n = 44) were of CPB and 27.9% (n = 17) were of CPC. Amongst CPB patients, 19 (31.1% of all patients) had CP score 7 (CP7) and 25 (41.0% of all patients) had CP score 8 or 9. The median follow-up was 2.3 months. The ORR of CPB and CPC patients were 6.8% and 0% respectively (p = 0.553). The TTP of CPB and CPC patients were 2.1 months (95% C.I. 1.4-2.8) and 1.4 months (95% C.I. 0.6-2.1) respectively (p = 0.204). CPB patients had significantly better OS than CPC patients (3.1 months (95% C.I. 1.4-4.7), vs. 1.7 months (95% C.I. 1.0-2.4), p = 0.041). Compared to CP score ≥8 (CP≥8) patients, CP7 patients had significantly better OS (median OS CP7 6.7 months (95% C.I. 4.0-9.3), vs. CP≥8 1.8 months (1.2-2.4), p = 0.002). Patients with diuretic-refractory ascites had significantly worse OS compared to those without (1.7 months (95% C.I. 1.0-2.5) vs. 3.7 months (95% C.I. 0.1-7.3), p = 0.004). Portal vein (PV) thrombosis was also significantly associated with inferior survival, with median OS of patients with any PV thrombosis being 1.8 months (95% C.I. 1.0-2.5), compared to 5.3 months (95% C.I. 2.4-8.1) of those without (p = 0.004). The median number of doses given was 3 (range 1-34). Median treatment duration was 5.0 weeks (range 0-77). Overall, 25.4% of patients experienced TRAEs and 4.8% experienced grade ≥3 TRAEs. The most common TRAEs were skin-related (13.1%) and constitutional symptoms (6.6%). Conclusions: Nivolumab/pembrolizumab had acceptable safety in CPB/C patients with aHCC. CP7, absence of diuretic-refractory ascites and lack of PV thrombosis were associated with better survival.


2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 294-294
Author(s):  
Renuka V. Iyer ◽  
Daneng Li ◽  
Farshid Dayyani ◽  
Alexandria T. Phan ◽  
Michael N. Needle ◽  
...  

294 Background: A recent ph3 study combining bevacizumab (VEGF-A Mab) with atezolizumab (PD-L1 inhibitor) has shown significant improvements in OS and PFS demonstrating that a combination of VEGF and PDL1 inhibition can improve patient outcomes over sorafenib. Tivozanib (T, a potent and selective VEGFR 1, 2 & 3 TKI) and durvalumab (D, a PD-L1 antibody) have both demonstrated single agent activity in HCC and have been combined safely with other therapies. T blocks all three VEGF receptors, and when combined with a PD-L1 inhibitor may improve patient outcomes. The ph1 portion of this study combines T with D to establish the recommended phase II dose (RP2D) and provide preliminary safety and efficacy data. Methods: Major eligibility criteria are adults with documented advanced HCC, Child-Pugh Class A, ECOG 0 or 1, creatinine clearance > 40 ml/min. Major exclusion criteria are co-infection with HBV and HCV and significant organ dysfunction. The starting dose is the combination of T 1 mg orally for 21 days followed by 7 days off treatment and D 1500 mg intravenously every 28 days. A DLT is generally defined as the occurrence of any Grade ≥3 immune or non-immune adverse event (AE) in Cycle 1 that is at least possibly related to the investigational regimen other than any grade of vitiligo or alopecia or Grade 3 controllable hypertension in cycle 1. The primary objective is to establish the RP2D and the safety and tolerability for this combination in patients with advanced HCC. Patients will be treated until progression of disease, unacceptable side effects, or death. Outcome measures will be AEs per CTCAE v.5 and cross-sectional imaging performed every 8 weeks. Results: Seven patients were enrolled in phase I. Six were male; the median age was 75 (range 40 to 82). One patient had mild elevation of LFTs and did not complete the 21-day course of T and was replaced. No patient experienced a >=grade 3 AE in cycle 1. The most common AEs, each seen in two of seven patients, were anorexia, cough, diarrhea, dysphonia, fatigue, hypertension, and palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia. Two of seven have achieved a partial response. Conclusions: The combination of T with D in patients with untreated advanced HCC is well tolerated. The RP2D for the combination is T 1 mg orally for 21 days on treatment followed by 7 days off treatment and D 1500 mg intravenously every 28 days. In the phase II portion of the study an additional 30 patients will be treated at the RP2D. Secondary objectives are to assess the objective response rate, progression free survival, and overall survival in this population. Clinical trial information: NCT03970616.


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